Skip to content

The AVIS Viswanathan Blog

the happynesswalaᵀᴹ – "Inspiring 'Happyness'"ᵀᴹ! Sharing Life Lessons from Lived Experiences! Inspired Speaker, Life Coach and Author of "Fall Like A Rose Petal"!

  • About AVIS
The AVIS Viswanathan Blog

Month: June 2018

Of “hygge” and embracing each moment for what it is!

To appreciate the magic and beauty of Life, you need to be mindful.

Someone pinged me the other day and asked me if I know anyone who practises “hygge”. I replied saying while I don’t really know anyone who practises “hygge”, I do know of the concept. It is an integral part of Danish and Norwegian culture and philosophy.

“Hygge” (pronounced ‘hue-guh’) can mean anything from coziness to well-being. Some say the word originates from the word hug, which itself comes from the 1560s Norse word ‘hugga’ or ‘hugge’, which means ‘to embrace’. So “hygge” is about embracing your situation or circumstances and to live in the moment. But the best way to understand the concept is to appreciate it as a feeling – it is the ability to recognize and enjoy the present moment, in its fullness, without judging it, without resenting it, by just being, just celebrating the moment for what it is, as it is.

So, in essence, “hygge” is total mindfulness.

Vaani and I practise this all the time. To be sure, mindfulness didn’t come to me naturally. When we went out for walks together, Vaani would often notice and celebrate Life around us. She would hear a cuckoo even amidst the noise and bustle of a crowded street. Or she would point to a flower in a someone’s garden and reminisce about how her father had introduced the botanical species to her and her twin sister. Vaani has this innate ability to pause and, metaphorically, smell the roses. I never ever did that – until a decade ago. I obsessed instead over my to-do lists, my inbox stuff, my business, my targets, my worries and my insecurities. And then, despite all our years of toil to build our consulting Firm and all our valiant efforts to prevent its eventual downfall, we went bankrupt! That’s when I woke up – and awakened! I realized the folly of leading Life the way I was living it. The bankruptcy, which we are still enduring – for over a decade now – has changed my Life completely. Most importantly, it has taught me why being in the moment and celebrating it is very valuable.

I recall an anecdote here, from the early days of our bankruptcy, that I have also shared in my Book, ‘Fall Like A Rose Petal’. It forms the opening of the first chapter – Of Living In the Moment – in the Book.

On the morning of March 17th, 2008, I woke up to realize that we had just ₹1000 with us. This was all the money we had left as a family. No assets, no savings in the bank, nothing. Just ₹1000. We were bankrupt as a Firm and insolvent as a family. Survival seemed impossible. Yet, Vaani gave me ₹500 of the cash left with us as I pulled on my jacket to leave for Mumbai at 4 AM to meet a potential client.

The client, a well-meaning and professional CEO, had arranged for my tickets, though he need not have. As I boarded the flight to Mumbai and fastened my seat belt, I was informed by the flight attendant that I had been upgraded to Business Class – perks of being the frequent-flier that I was, until business slowed down! The irony hit me hard as we got airborne. 50% of our net worth as a family was sitting in my wallet. The remaining 50 % was with Vaani! And I was sure, at that moment, that Vaani would have been as nervous as I was about the fate of the client meeting. The only reason I clung on to hope was, as I asked myself – why would a client fly me out, at his cost, if he was not serious about the engagement? Yet, even as my mind raced to worry, I tried to hold it still to attend to the beautiful morning sky. It was a magnificent sunrise over Chennai that day, one of the most humbling sights you can be blessed with if you have a East-facing window seat when the flight takes off. It made me realize how small I was – and how insignificant my problems were – on the scale of the grand, cosmic, design that powers the Universe. I drank in the beauty of that sunrise – a feeling that is still fresh inside me. In some time, my worries dissolved and I had become peaceful. It was in that equanimous frame of mind that I arrived in Mumbai…(To know what happened next and how the client meeting went, please read my Book Fall Like A Rose Petal.)

That feeling of equanimity I experienced on the flight, despite all my worries, fears and my challenged circumstances, that feeling is “hygge” – and it comes from mindfulness!

AVIS-Viswanathan-To-see-the-beauty-of-Life-you-must-be-mindful

This is what I have learnt from Life. I have learnt that Life happens to us at its own pace, of its own accord and design, despite our best intentions, plans and efforts. So, it is always what it is. And what will be, will be. You can’t solve your problems overnight. So, don’t postpone happiness. Postpone worrying instead. And embrace the moment. Learn to live with what it is. Through my daily practice of mouna – silence periods – I have trained my mind to be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering. This, Vaani and I know, from our own experience, is the secret of being happy despite the circumstances.

Now, you may wonder, how can you embrace a moment that you dislike; one that you never invited into your Life, but which has arrived? This is why being non-judgmental is critical to practise mindfulness. Think about it. What is the point in resenting what is – what has already happened, what has already arrived? It is only your resenting that causes all your suffering. Instead, accept your Life for what it is. No matter how hopeless a situation may be, how dark the road ahead may be, each day brings with it a fresh flavor of magic, beauty, hope and positivity. But to appreciate this beauty of Life, you need to be mindful.

As I see it, mindfulness is the ability to drink in each moment, without judging it, without questioning it, without hating it but simply savor it for what it is. No one could have said this better than Rumi: “Be aware of the pure wine being poured, don’t complain that you have been given a dirty cup!” This is what “hygge”, as a concept, reminds us to do – in every living moment of ours!

Author AVIS ViswanathanPosted on June 4, 2018August 2, 2018Categories Fall Like A Rose Petal, Happiness, Inner Peace, Intelligent Living, Life, Spirituality, UncategorizedTags Acceptance, AVIS Viswanathan, Bankruptcy, Fall Like A Rose Petal, Happiness, Hygge, Inner Peace, Inspiring Happiness, Inspiring Happyness, Intelligent Living, Jalaluddin Rumi, Life, Life Coach, Life Coaching, Life Lessons, Live in the moment, Live In The Now, Mindfulness, Non-frustrated, Non-Suffering, Non-worrying, Rumi, Spirituality, the happynesswala, the happynesswalas, Total Acceptance, Uncategorized, Vaani1 Comment on Of “hygge” and embracing each moment for what it is!
Follow The AVIS Viswanathan Blog on WordPress.com

Advisory & Disclaimer

1. The author, AVIS, shares Life lessons here that he has gleaned from his lived experiences. AVIS has nothing against or for any religion. If the reader has a learning to share, they are most welcome. If the reader makes a communal or inflammatory or derogatory comment, or presents a view which may affect the sentiments of other followers/readers, then this Blog’s administrators may have to regrettably delete such a comment and even block such a follower. 2. The lived experiences shared here and the learnings gleaned from them are unique and personal to AVIS. The copyright for all original content here, that has been written/created by AVIS, belongs to AVIS Viswanathan. Important, AVIS has no interest in either infringing upon or claiming copyright of any referenced material published on this Blog. The images/videos used on this Blog, that are not created by AVIS, are purely for illustrative purposes. They belong to their original owners/creators. The author does not intend profiting from them nor is there any covert claim to copyright any of them.

Recent Posts

  • Faith is the way
  • Channelize your anger
  • Pause and reflect
  • Give in to Life
  • Acceptance is the way to inner peace

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012

Categories

  • Acceptance
  • Art of Living
  • AVIS on Happyness
  • AVIS on Leadership
  • Awareness
  • Celebrate Life
  • Companionship
  • Compassion
  • Contentment
  • Courage
  • Crisis
  • Death
  • Detachment
  • Divinity
  • Ego
  • Enlightenment
  • Equanimity
  • Face Life
  • Failure
  • Faith
  • Fall Like A Rose Petal
  • Fear
  • Fearlessness
  • Follow your Bliss
  • Forgiveness
  • Gandhi
  • Go with the Flow
  • God
  • Godliness
  • Grace
  • Gratitude
  • Grief
  • Guilt
  • Guilty
  • Happiness
  • Help Yourself to Happiness
  • Humility
  • Impermanence
  • Inner Peace
  • Insecurity
  • Integrity of Purpose
  • Intelligent Living
  • Joy
  • Leadership
  • Let Go
  • Let's Talk Happyness
  • Life
  • Life Lessons
  • Live in the moment
  • Living in the Now
  • Living in the Present
  • Love
  • Mindfulness
  • Miracles
  • Mouna
  • Move On
  • Non-frustrated
  • Non-Suffering
  • Non-worrying
  • Osho
  • Pain
  • Parenting
  • Patience
  • Pause & Reflect
  • Peace
  • Prayer
  • Purpose
  • Relationships
  • Religion
  • Resilience
  • Responsible Citizenship
  • Rise In Love
  • Sad
  • Sadness
  • Shirdi Sai Baba
  • Silence
  • Silence Periods
  • Spirituality
  • Success
  • Suffering
  • Surrender
  • Swami Sathya Sai Baba
  • The AVIS Viswanathan Podcast
  • The Bliss Catchers
  • the happynesswala
  • the happynesswalas
  • Uncategorized
  • Uncertainty
  • Unhappiness
  • Why Me?
  • Why?
  • Worry
  • Zen
  • About AVIS
The AVIS Viswanathan Blog Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
  • Follow Following
    • The AVIS Viswanathan Blog
    • Join 102 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The AVIS Viswanathan Blog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...